In New Orleans, Tiana, the daughter of a seamstress, spends her days at the home of her mother's wealthy client, the La Bouffs. The La Bouffs have a daughter, Charlotte, the same age as Tiana, and they become lifelong friends. They're told by Tiana's mother the story of the Frog Prince, about a girl that kissed a frog, and upon delivering the kiss, the frog magically turned to a prince for the girl to marry. Charlotte dreams of marrying a prince, but Tiana has simpler dreams: she wants to be a famous chef one day. Twenty years later, Tiana is working non-stop shifts at a local diner, saving up her money to buy a building that she can transform into a restaurant. Charlotte, more obsessed with marrying a prince than ever, hears of a young man, Prince Naveen, coming to visit New Orleans. She forces her daddy to throw a ball so they can meet, and she offers to pay Tiana whatever she wants to cater, giving Tiana enough money to finally buy her building. Prince Naveen, meanwhile, is not your usual prince: he's lazy, with no work ethic, and as a result his money has vanished. A witch doctor, Doctor Facilier, offers to give Naveen and his lackey, Lawrence, something that will change them both for the better. It turns out to be a trick: Naveen is turned into a frog, and Lawrence has his body changed to look like Naveen. Facilier tells Lawrence to marry Charlotte so they can both get a direct line into the sizable La Bouff family fortune. Naveen, now a frog, goes to the ball and runs into Tiana. He requests a kiss, and Tiana, remembering the old story, obliges. However, instead of turning Naveen into a prince, it turns Tiana to a frog as well. Naveen and Tiana escape the clutches of Facilier and Lawrence, escaping into the swamps of the bayou. They meet some talking animals: a jazz-obsessed gator named Louie and a firefly named Ray, who offers to take them to the swamp witch, Mama Odie. Odie tells them they have until the stroke of midnight before the spell turns permanent, and Naveen must kiss Charlotte to break the spell for them both. Naveen and Tiana race back to New Orleans, hoping to avoid Facilier and avoid staying as frogs forever.
Click here to see the rest of this review...
Best part of story, including ending:
It's a joyous film from Disney, with plenty of terrific musical numbers, some wonderful supporting characters, and a romance anyone can appreciate.
Best scene in story:
Ray is in love with a distant star named Evangeline, who he thinks is a firefly. It's a touching moment when Ray sings a love song to the faraway star.
Opinion about the main character:
Tiana is a hard worker, who never blames anyone for the hardships in her life, instead trying to seize her own destiny. This is a great trait for kids to learn early in life.
